Birth certificate, guru as father??

[Akipog 54]

Hi all,

 

So my fiance and I met while volunteering under a spiritual organization in India. He has been living in a temple for over 10 years, (not with his family), and considers his/our spiritual master as his real father. He also has a spiritual name, which he goes by, and which is on all his legal documents/passport/bank accounts/identification. So a few months back when he was applying for his passport, he put his guru's name under father, and his birth mother's name as mother just out of default. I didn't know about this beforehand, otherwise I would have suggested otherwise. Anyhow he did not have a birth certificate before, but recently got an official birth certificate that says the same thing, with his spiritual name as his legal name, and his guru as his father, and birth mother as his mother. As far as I know, this is common in India 😂 It's not as strict it seems to get a birth certificate with the names of your parents as soon as you are born. When I submitted by the i29f application, I explained all of this in a letter, about the cultural and spiritual practices and how it is not uncommon to consider the guru as father, accepting a new name, and how that is much more REAL than his birth father for him and also what is on all his legal documentation. I put his spiritual name as his legal name, and his father as his guru on the documentation, but I also provided a letter of explanation. 

 

Are there any other Indian applicants with advice on this? Do you think that birth certificate will suffice for the interview? Should his mother provide an affidavit support as a back up? Thoughts??? Thank you!

[SalishSea 16,767]

1 hour ago, Akipog said:

Hi all,

 

So my fiance and I met while volunteering under a spiritual organization in India. He has been living in a temple for over 10 years, (not with his family), and considers his/our spiritual master as his real father. He also has a spiritual name, which he goes by, and which is on all his legal documents/passport/bank accounts/identification. So a few months back when he was applying for his passport, he put his guru's name under father, and his birth mother's name as mother just out of default. I didn't know about this beforehand, otherwise I would have suggested otherwise. Anyhow he did not have a birth certificate before, but recently got an official birth certificate that says the same thing, with his spiritual name as his legal name, and his guru as his father, and birth mother as his mother. As far as I know, this is common in India 😂 It's not as strict it seems to get a birth certificate with the names of your parents as soon as you are born. When I submitted by the i29f application, I explained all of this in a letter, about the cultural and spiritual practices and how it is not uncommon to consider the guru as father, accepting a new name, and how that is much more REAL than his birth father for him and also what is on all his legal documentation. I put his spiritual name as his legal name, and his father as his guru on the documentation, but I also provided a letter of explanation. 

 

Are there any other Indian applicants with advice on this? Do you think that birth certificate will suffice for the interview? Should his mother provide an affidavit support as a back up? Thoughts??? Thank you!

While it is not smart to knowingly submit incorrect info (think FRAUD), the fact that all of his documents are in agreement could mean that it is overlooked at the USCIS/petition level.  In terms of the consular level, I really don't know the implications there.  

 

It is kind of mind-boggling that someone could falsify/change a birth certificate - even in India.  Were records not properly kept when he was born?  How can a person just assign whomever as a birth parent on a birth certificate?

[Akipog 54]

Cultural traditions in India are different in other countries which is why I was hoping somebody from India would give their input. Sometimes names of babies aren't given until even 6 months or one year after the birth. It's not so sytemized there. No he does not have a previous birth record. Also for someone entering into a temple, you are entering a new life completely and it's sometimes offensive to ask whose one's birth parents were, the new spiritual identity are given more prominence. Its not considered fraud, but reality. Hopefully they overlook it. 

Edited January 1, 2019 by Akipog

[Boiler 43,425]

If I understand your original post you told them you were supplying incorrect information.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Your fiance gave false statements to obtain a birth certificate and a passport.  These fraudulent documents were used to apply for a US visa.  

It doesn't matter if you explain it.  It's still fraud.  Big time fraud.

 

Prepare for a denial.  The US Consulate will not overlook fraud.  

[Charles_n_Grace 24]

Assuming this makes it past petition approval, he should contact the cultural attaché at the Embassy. The attaché will have a better understanding of the situation 

[Akipog 54]

When I was applying I called USCIS and the representative just told me to write a letter of explanation. I'll prepare for denial just in case. Thanks all for opinion. 

[Lemonslice 4,551]

19 minutes ago, Akipog said:

When I was applying I called USCIS and the representative just told me to write a letter of explanation. I'll prepare for denial just in case. Thanks all for opinion. 

This is known as the misinformation line. Look up the reciprocity schedule for India. Do not submit documents that you know to be incorrect. Legal/birth father is what's needed. 

[Akipog 54]

Yeah wish I had known sooner, oh well. I'm not too worried, because we want to settle in India anyway, so if this route doesn't work out I"ll just move there.